New Jersey Takes Meta to Court Over Claims Facebook and Instagram Harmed Kids

New Jersey is taking Meta to court over a question that could have major consequences for families: Did Facebook and Instagram knowingly use addictive features to keep kids hooked?

Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Monday that New Jersey will join California, Colorado and Kentucky in presenting their case against Meta in federal court in Oakland, California. Opening statements begin Tuesday, August 18.

At the center of the case is how Facebook and Instagram were built. The states accuse Meta of using features like infinite scrolling and recommendation algorithms to keep children and teens on its platforms longer — allegedly despite knowing excessive use could harm young users. More engagement, the states argue, also meant more advertising revenue for Meta.

New Jersey has been part of the fight from the beginning, co-leading a nationwide investigation into Meta since 2021 before the multistate lawsuit was filed in 2023. The states also allege Meta improperly collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.

Meta denies the allegations and says it has created protections for teens on its platforms.

Now, after years of investigation, the arguments are heading before a jury. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are among the executives expected to testify.

For New Jersey parents, this case could reach far beyond one company. The outcome could help determine how much responsibility social media companies have for the way they design apps used by millions of children and teens — and whether those companies can be forced to change those practices.

“Our children are not data points to be monetized for profit,” the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said ahead of the trial.